Translation is considered a tool to fill communicative and linguistic gaps among cultures. Specifically in Colombian businesses this tool has faced a growing trend owing to Colombia being one of the so-called CIVETS . Colombia is also the third friendliest Latin American country to do business with, while being fifth in the world and first in the region in terms of investor protection . In addition to these facts, the U.S.-Colombia FTA will increase the number of formal negotiations in Spanish and English, consequently increasing the need for formal translations made by professional translators. Although this industry is essential for business, a small mistranslation problem may cause serious communication problems within companies and from company to company affecting the company’s image and even more its negotiation and internationalization processes. Thus, it is necessary to know how prepared Colombian translators are to face the challenges caused by the increasing demand of the market and how to obtain the best quality in their translations. This chapter is designed to provide managers with the required tools to know how to receive the best translation of a business document and selecting the best translator. We emphasize the fact that professional translators who follow correct translation processes can offer high quality translations allowing managers to obtain high quality translations that communicate them with companies abroad for their business purposes.By reading this chapter and applying its content to an organizational context, managers will not face bad experiences from low-quality translations that will make negotiations with foreigners break down or lose good business opportunities. In a more specific way, managers will understand how translators do their job and which facts can be overlooked making translation a problem in their business opportunities. To gain a better understanding of how the translation industry works and how to make translations an easy component of your internationalization process, this chapter offers an overview of different aspects that managers have to consider before calling someone “translator”, or before assigning a translation to someone. We will first analyze the importance of translation for business purposes, based on facts that demonstrate how it becomes a tool for business. Then, we will discuss the translators’ competencies, as a way of certifying that they fulfill the necessary requirements to translate correctly. After knowing the competencies to hire the best candidates, a very important concept is clarified referring Colombian translators. It refers to the difference between “official” and “professional” translators, which is generally misunderstood. In addition, managers should know about the national translation standards translators should follow, as a tool to certify quality in their translations. This chapter also includes the translation process as a way of noticing problems and issues that are overlooked when translating. This aspect makes managers aware of the difficulties that can obstruct the meaning of ideas and break communication. These topics are basic aspects to be considered when hiring an in-house or a freelance translator, so managers should consider them carefully to get the best translations by hiring the correct people for their companies.
Translation is considered a tool to fill communicative and linguistic gaps among cultures. Specifically in Colombian businesses this tool has faced a growing trend owing to Colombia being one of the so-called CIVETS . Colombia is also the third friendliest Latin American country to do business with, while being fifth in the world and first in the region in terms of investor protection . In addition to these facts, the U.S.-Colombia FTA will increase the number of formal negotiations in Spanish and English, consequently increasing the need for formal translations made by professional translators. Although this industry is essential for business, a small mistranslation problem may cause serious communication problems within companies and from company to company affecting the company’s image and even more its negotiation and internationalization processes. Thus, it is necessary to know how prepared Colombian translators are to face the challenges caused by the increasing demand of the market and how to obtain the best quality in their translations. This chapter is designed to provide managers with the required tools to know how to receive the best translation of a business document and selecting the best translator. We emphasize the fact that professional translators who follow correct translation processes can offer high quality translations allowing managers to obtain high quality translations that communicate them with companies abroad for their business purposes.By reading this chapter and applying its content to an organizational context, managers will not face bad experiences from low-quality translations that will make negotiations with foreigners break down or lose good business opportunities. In a more specific way, managers will understand how translators do their job and which facts can be overlooked making translation a problem in their business opportunities. To gain a better understanding of how the translation industry works and how to make translations an easy component of your internationalization process, this chapter offers an overview of different aspects that managers have to consider before calling someone “translator”, or before assigning a translation to someone. We will first analyze the importance of translation for business purposes, based on facts that demonstrate how it becomes a tool for business. Then, we will discuss the translators’ competencies, as a way of certifying that they fulfill the necessary requirements to translate correctly. After knowing the competencies to hire the best candidates, a very important concept is clarified referring Colombian translators. It refers to the difference between “official” and “professional” translators, which is generally misunderstood. In addition, managers should know about the national translation standards translators should follow, as a tool to certify quality in their translations. This chapter also includes the translation process as a way of noticing problems and issues that are overlooked when translating. This aspect makes managers aware of the difficulties that can obstruct the meaning of ideas and break communication. These topics are basic aspects to be considered when hiring an in-house or a freelance translator, so managers should consider them carefully to get the best translations by hiring the correct people for their companies.
